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UFC News: UFC.com Launches "UFC Discover"

For those who are unfamiliar with the sport of mixed martial arts or the UFC, fans will no longer feel left out, as UFC.com has recently launched an in-depth, interactive page where anyone can browse and become educated in MMA. It is called “UFC D…

The page is categorized into four sections: Discover the Fighter, Discover the Sport, Discover The UFC and Discover the Fan. Each section features artifacts, information and content all in detail regarding your favourite events, fighters and signature moves.

Obviously, this a great opportunity for fans to learn more about the sport and participate in such an interactive way. More so, it is an even greater opportunity for the UFC to allow itself to become more involved and open to the mainstream media.

While browsing through countless pages and sections, the interactive page allows fans to become more aware and knowledgeable about the UFC and it’s regulations, thus creating a more healthier perspective on the sport entirely.

Now fans will have the chance to browse onto UFC.com in a new, interactive way and allow them to truly discover the UFC as a sport, a brand and a culture.

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UFC 129 Recap: Vladimir Matyushenko Wants to Rematch Tito Ortiz or Lil Nog

Success is not measured by the longevity of a career, but how much productivity one’s career is able to amount. And Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko certainly adds some truth to that statement. Following his knockout victory over Jason Brillz at…

Following his knockout victory over Jason Brillz at UFC 129, the Belarusian told Ron Kruck of Inside MMA that he feels accomplished to still be competing in mixed martial arts at 40 years old.

“Well it’s a big, big acheivement. For me, myself and for all the industry, for MMA, UFC and for all the fans, I am just glad it happened.”

Holding a professional record of 26-5-0, the UFC veteran has seen it all in MMA, competing in multiple organizations including, UFC, IFL, IFC and Affliction Entertainment.

And despite all the experience that he holds, Matyushenko admits that times have changed.

“It was pretty much fighting in a backyard or the parking lot, and now it ended up being this big in such a short period of time, even I’m surprised,” Matyushenko said.

After collecting a victory over Brillz, Matyushenko has now won five of his last six bouts inside the Octagon, and while he isn’t too savvy on hand picking opponents, there are two competitors who come to mind regarding his next bout.

“I have lost in the UFC to Tito Ortiz, and I have lost to ‘Lil Nog’ (Rogerio Nogueira) and I’d like to take those losses back.”

While the idea of witnessing a rematch between either legend is worth the price of admission, currently both Ortiz and Nogueira are scheduled to square off against Ryan Bader and Rich Franklin at UFC 132 and UFC 133 respectively.

In the meantime, Matyushenko will look to enjoy some time off after his most recent win while he waits for his next challenger to emerge.

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Yushin Okami: "All I Think About Is Defeating Anderson (Silva)"

While the speculation surrounding a superfight between Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre continues to grow, Japanese star Yushin Okami looks to spoil that opportunity, as he will challenge the Brazilian for the UFC middleweight title at UFC Rio this…

The recent announcement of Okami and Silva became somewhat of a surprise to most mixed martial arts fans, as UFC president Dana White stated previously that Silva and St-Pierre would meet if both champions were to defeat their opponents, which they did, having essentially cleaned out their respective divisions.

But for now, it appears the UFC boss has other plans.

And for Okami, he seems quite content with being booked against Silva, who, after winning 10 of his last 12 UFC bouts, is ready to get his shot at the title.

“My opponent is the champion Anderson, the fight is in Brazil, and I am the challenger. I’d say that the table has been set,” he said to MMAFighting.com.

Okami has been eagerly awaiting a rematch with the champion ever since his debut in the UFC five years prior. In January, 2006, Okami was awarded the victory via disqualification after Silva landed an illegal kick that left the Japanese star unconscious and unable to continue.

While Okami said he believes Silva’s kick was not intentional, Silva has held a grudge against Okami and he publicly stated his opponent was able to continue the bout, but chose not to.

As a result, Okami is the last man to technically defeat Silva. And regarding Silva’s bad blood towards him, Okami said he could care less about what the Brazilian thinks of him.

“It doesn’t matter what he thinks,” he said. “All I think about is defeating Anderson.”

Okami has evolved since his first bout with Silva and has been paying close attention to the Brazilian’s recent performances, vowing that he will not be able to toy with him like he has done to past opponents.

“I will guarantee that he will not be bored when fighting me,” Okami said.

Although this won’t be their first encounter against one another, it will be the first time Silva defends his middleweight title in his homeland of Brazil, a difficult task Okami must overcome in order to beat the champion again.

Meanwhile, Silva, who will be defending his title for a unprecedented ninth time, is arguably the sport’s best pound-for-pound fighter and will look to exact revenge on Okami.

But Okami said he will not let the champion’s home-field advantage nor his mystique overwhelm him.

“He’s got an aura that intimidates any opponent,” he said. “I’m going to take that aura away from him.”

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UFC News: Jose Aldo Needed Antibiotics, Says Head Trainer

During his featherweight title defense at UFC 129, Jose Aldo did not appear to be himself against his opponent, Mark Hominick. While he did successfully defend his title, there was something slightly off about the champion on this night, as he looked r…

His head trainer at Nova Uniao, Andre Pederneiras, told Sherdog.com that the Brazilian was on antibiotics for an infection he received just days prior to the event.

“He suffered a cut on his toe [on April 23] and it got infected with bacteria,” Pederneiras said.

“He went through heavy medical treatment with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory pills from Sunday to Tuesday. He took the heavy dosage so that he wouldn’t have to take more drugs closer to the fight.”

The rumors surrounding his suspected illness only grew following his fight with Hominick, when his cornerman Marion Sandro was seen criticizing Aldo after he complained about wanting to take more antibiotics.

“Antibiotics wouldn’t have helped at all,” Sandro told Aldo. “You’re the champion, kid. F–k the antibiotics. Everything is OK. You fought well, smooth and composed.”

Aldo is likely to fight much sooner following his fourth title defense, as it is expected he will square off against unbeaten featherweight Chad Mendes at UFC 133. Although another challenger could emerge at UFC 131 when Kenny Florian will make his featherweight debut against Aldo’s teammate Diego Nunes.

Pederneiras said he is aware of the possibility that both Aldo and Nunes might have to fight each other, but the Nova Uniao trainer said their potential bout is not any of his concern.

“I think it will be against Chad Mendes,” Pederneiras says of Aldo’s future opponent.

“But Diego and everyone from Nova União knows that if they have to fight against each other, they will. I just don’t know how we would manage it, but they know they’re fighters and it’s their job. If the boss orders it, we’ll work on that situation. They’ll fight against whoever they’re matched with.”

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UFC 131 Fight Card: Will Junior Dos Santos Be Exposed On The Ground?

UFC 131 will feature a main event between heavyweights Brock Lesnar and Junior Dos Santos, to solidify a No. 1 contender for the UFC heavyweight title. Dos Santos has steamrolled through every opponent in the Octagon thus far, earning four …

UFC 131 will feature a main event between heavyweights Brock Lesnar and Junior Dos Santos, to solidify a No. 1 contender for the UFC heavyweight title.

Dos Santos has steamrolled through every opponent in the Octagon thus far, earning four knockouts, one submission and a decision victory. His superior stand-up game is arguably the best in the heavyweight division and he possesses knockout power in both of his hands.

However none of his opponents carry the size and athleticism that Lesnar holds, making the 265 lb behemoth a much more difficult test for the Brazilian than anyone he has faced.

Lesnar’s sheer size and athleticism is something to behold.

But despite his athleticism, one of Lesnar’s flaws just happens to be Dos Santos’ biggest strength: striking. Obviously, Dos Santos’ intention will be to keep the fight on the feet and expose Lesnar, but ultimately it will be Lesnar dictating where the fight goes, and considering he holds a sixty percent take down success rate, it is possible to see this bout contested on the ground before anywhere else.

And if this bout takes place on the ground, will Dos Santos be the fighter who becomes exposed?

The Brazilian has claimed in past interviews that he holds good Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills under the tutelage of his mentor, Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira, and while he might have not shown his ground skills yet, he did show good scrambling technique in his bout vs. Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC Versus. Gonzaga also happens to hold some of the best ground game in mixed martial arts.

It is been said that Dos Santos displays very good technique and movement in his hips, providing him with more torque in extending his striking and to help him maneuver off of the ground. But given Lesnar’s strength and size, one cannot help but wonder if Dos Santos has enough strength to prevent the former heavyweight champion from taking him to the canvas, and if he does take Dos Santos down repeatedly, will Lesnar’s imposing figure and superior grappling skills overwhelm and tire him out?

Now standing at 6’3″ and weighing at 240 lbs, Dos Santos will not be a push over against the former NCAA Division 1 wrestler, but it’s evident in Lesnar’s bout against Frank Mir at UFC 100, that his physical stature is overwhelming and difficult to compete against. Lesnar controlled Mir and imposed his size, along with his positional dominance, frustrating his opponent en route to a second-round TKO victory.

There is no doubt Lesnar is a dominant figure and his superior strength, size and athleticism certainly provides difficulty for his opponents to deal with, but if Dos Santos is able to avoid the ground as much as possible, then he is likely to expose Lesnar on the feet.

However Dos Santos’ ground game and cardio is questionable, and against a formidable opponent like Lesnar, this bout could expose some holes in the Brazilian’s arsenal as well.

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Brazilian Karate Coach Says Machida’s Crane Kick Is "Most Difficult to Land"

Since his highlight reel knockout victory over Randy Couture at UFC 129, Lyoto Machida has been dubbed the “Karate Kid.” The Brazilian’s style is so unique and complex, as he combines different styles into his arsenal, along with his elusive speed and …

Since his highlight reel knockout victory over Randy Couture at UFC 129, Lyoto Machida has been dubbed the “Karate Kid.”

The Brazilian’s style is so unique and complex, as he combines different styles into his arsenal, along with his elusive speed and footwork, including Shotokan karate, Sumo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai.

To put into perspective just how lethal Machida’s flying crane kick was, look no further than former Brazilian karate coach, Geraldo de Paula, who said that the kick Machida used is very hard to land.

“That was a perfect move. For those who know karate well, it is the most difficult attack to land. For those who know less, it’s fatal. Nobody is expecting a front kick like that, a front punch is more common,” de Paula said to UOL Esportes, courtesy of FightersOnlyMagazine.

“The most common kick is mae geri, when one of the feet doesn’t leave the floor, as Anderson Silva did versus Vitor Belfort [at UFC 126]. Lyoto made a more complex kick, mae tabi geri, taking both feet from the floor with a mid-jump,” he explained.

He went on to explain the intent of the kick is not to attack the face of an opponent, or knock them out.

“As we don’t look for the knockout in tournaments, but points for landing hits on the rivals, it is more used to hit the abdomen. For karate practitioners the most common head attack is circular kicks.”

The mae tabi geri is practiced in all martial arts, but it is mostly utilized in Shotokan karate.

Machida, who was accompanied to the Octagon by his family and actor Steven Seagal, credited both his father and Seagal for helping him perfect the kick.

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